Florida Senate - 2013 (NP) SR 858 By Senator Bullard 39-01173-13 2013858__ 1 Senate Resolution 2 A resolution congratulating Miami-Dade County Public 3 Schools on being named the winner of the 2012 Broad 4 Prize for Urban Education and recognizing the school 5 system and its administrators, teachers, staff, 6 students, and parents for their commitment to the 7 singular goal of improving student achievement in an 8 environment characterized by openness, transparency, 9 efficiency, and innovation. 10 11 WHEREAS, the Broad Prize for Urban Education is an annual 12 award that honors urban school districts across the nation that 13 are making the greatest progress in raising student achievement, 14 and 15 WHEREAS, the Broad Prize honors urban school districts that 16 demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in 17 student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among ethnic 18 groups and between high- and low-income students, and 19 WHEREAS, students in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools 20 outperformed students in a number of the most highly thought of 21 public schools in major metropolitan areas in the National 22 Assessment of Educational Progress Trial Urban District 23 Assessment in science, mathematics, and reading, and 24 WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County Public Schools was a finalist 25 for the Broad Prize in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2011, and, in 2012 26 claimed this prestigious honor, and 27 WHEREAS, as the winner of the Broad Prize, Miami-Dade 28 County Public Schools will receive $550,000 in college 29 scholarships for graduating seniors, and 30 WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ recognition by 31 the body that awards the Broad Prize is a testament to its 32 concentrated approach in reading instruction, including summer 33 reading camps; reading interventions in elementary, middle, and 34 senior high school, as well as an emphasis on reading across 35 disciplines; a focus on guiding middle school students to 36 advanced-level classes, which increases the pipeline to Advanced 37 Placement courses in high school; and extended learning 38 opportunities through the Links to Learning program and the 39 Superintendent’s Success Academy, NOW, THEREFORE, 40 41 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 42 43 That we recognize the outstanding achievement of the Miami 44 Dade County Public Schools and its administrators, teachers, 45 staff, students, and parents for their exemplary achievement in 46 winning the Broad Prize for Urban Education, which shines a 47 national spotlight on the system’s sound advances in student 48 achievement.